45 Preface وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دابَّةٍ مِن ماءٍ ۖ فَمِنهُم مَن يَمشي عَلىٰ بَطنِهِ وَمِنهُم مَن يَمشي عَلىٰ رِجلَينِ وَمِنهُم مَن يَمشي عَلىٰ أَربَعٍ ۚ يَخلُقُ اللَّهُ ما يَشاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَديرٌYusuf AliAnd God has created every animal from water:1 of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four.2 God creates what He wills;3 for verily God has power over all things.Cf. 21:30 n. 2691. Protoplasm is the basis of all living matter, and “the vital power of protoplasm seems to depend on the constant presence of water” (Lowsons’ Text-book of Botany, Indian Edition. London 1922, p. 23). Textbooks of Zoology are also clear on the point. For example, see T.J. Parker and W. A. Haswell, Textbook of Zoology, London, 1910, vol I. p. 15: “Living protoplasm always contains a large amount of water.The creeping things include worms and lowly forms of animal life as well as reptiles (like snakes), centipedes, spiders, and insects. Where these have legs they are small, and the description of creeping or crawling is more applicable to them than that of walking. Fishes and sea-animals generally cannot be said to walk: their swimming is like “creeping on their bellies”. Two-legged animals include birds and man. Most of the mammals walk on four legs. This includes the whole of the animal worldIn God’s Will and Plan, the variety of forms and habits among animals is adapted to their various modes of life and stages of biological evolution.